The invention relates generally to a process for enhancing the performance capabilities of an injection-locked semiconductor laser. More specifically, it relates to a process which both enhances the bandwidth and reduces the broadband noise intensity of an injection-locked semiconductor laser. The process of the present invention may be used to enhance the performance of any injection-locked semiconductor laser, such as the laser described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,047 issued to Hadley et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Prior to the invention, injection locking had been used for chirp reduction and for linewidth narrowing. Such techniques improve a semiconductor laser's performance, but do not enhance the modulation bandwidth or reduce the broadband noise intensity of such a laser. A need remains for a process that enhances the modulation bandwidth and broadband noise intensity characteristics of an injection-locked semiconductor laser, and the present invention is intended to satisfy that need.